Anyone trying to fight a vehicle fire without proper training, protective gear, and backup personnel (i.e. - a fireman on duty, in their official capacity) would be a total fool. You're probably not going to save the car. You're probably going to severely burn or kill yourself. Just too many hazards there - Open the hood and the flames flash up and into your face, potential fuel spills, pressurized "5 mph bumpers" exploding outwards and breaking your legs, hybrid car batteries showering you with who-knows-what's-inside-them ... No thanks. There are enough Darwin Award contestants in the world without me jumping into the fray.

Just (1) get yourself and any other car occupants away to a safe distance, (2) call the fire department, and (3) file an insurance claim. You can only do (3) if you are still alive to fill out the paperwork.

And most certainly, don't go and fling that hood wide open. Not even the dumbest of the fire fighter school rejects would do that.